


Give Him Your Whole Life

by TimmyJaybird



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Bruce just wants to be Jason's dad, Fluff, M/M, and wants his boy to be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-08-29 19:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8502877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimmyJaybird/pseuds/TimmyJaybird
Summary: Roy has made the decision that he wants to marry Jason... and he just wants Bruce to approve.





	

Roy stared from where he leaned, up on the back porch of the manor, as Jason lifted a laughing Lian up, nearly tossing her, acting as if her recent growth spurt hadn’t made it more difficult in the slightest. He pulled her down, and her arms went around his neck, squeezing, before she was  _ climbing him _ , getting up on his shoulders.

 

His eyes softened, watching the way Jason carried Lian across the lawn, towards where Damian was sitting in the grass, his sketch book out, Titus flopped on his side, and the latest member of the family- Suren- watching Damian sketch. Roy couldn’t have been shocked, when the kid came home from Damian’s adventures, when  _ Bruce _ let him stay.

 

Apparently, like father, like son.

 

He turned back to Jason, felt his gut twisting up with affection. Jason looked so damn  _ happy _ , so natural- as if he was in his element. Not because he was at the manor- Roy knew their warehome was home and not this place- but because of  _ Lian _ . Like wherever she was, Jason could turn that place into a home.

 

Roy understood the sentiment.

 

Roy heard the doors opening behind him, and expected to see Alfred making his way towards everyone. Instead, the footsteps paused next to him, and from the corner of his eye, Roy saw Bruce leaning against the railing as well.

 

He hadn’t been fully aware Bruce was even home, and thought maybe he’d be in the cave-

 

“Shouldn’t you be with them?” Bruce asked, nodding towards Jason and Lian. Roy followed his stare, the smile curling on his lips again.

 

He gave a gentle shake of his head. “Sometimes I just like to watch them,” he admitted, “see how good they are together.” There was silence, before he added, “Besides, Jason and Lian deserve time that’s just the two of them. She’s…” he leaned closer to the railing, “she’s his daughter, too.”

 

The first time Roy had made that realization, he had nearly thrown him off balance. When he found a sick Lian passed out on the couch snuggled into Jason, who was also asleep. When he’d realized that Lian was so comfortable with Jason it was as if he had always  _ been there _ \- and knowing that Jason loved her, as much as he could love any child. Like she was his own.

 

_ She was _ . And the fact that they felt so  _ whole _ together, the three of them- it had Roy thinking…

 

And he felt a little foolish for it, as he turned, leaning his hip against the railing and stared at Bruce, blurting to him, “I wanna marry Jason.”

 

Bruce turned his head to stare at him, and Roy  _ understood _ , every time Bruce looked at him, why he was so goddamn terrifying to so many. Those eyes were cool, solid, could stare daggers and holes into someone if they stayed trained on you long enough.

 

“Is that so?” Bruce straightened up, and Roy swallowed, nodded. “Does  _ he _ know that?”

 

“No.” Roy cleared his throat. “Not… not yet. I’ve just been thinking about it, recently. I guess it feels like the right time.” He folded his arms, not quite defensively- but maybe a  _ little _ .

 

“And you’re telling me because…”

 

“I want you to say it’s okay.”

 

And Roy would be  _ lying _ if he said he hadn’t thought about that, too. If he didn’t want some sort of approval, for him to get a few papers signed and have everyone realize that Jason was  _ his _ \- and that he was Jason’s. And he knew the rest of the family, they approved. He got along fine with them, he didn’t doubt they’d be happy…

 

But Bruce was like Jason’s  _ dad _ , and Roy had never felt like the man even approved of him. Back when he was still Speedy, when he was just Dick’s friend, Bruce had said he was  _ trouble _ , had seen the signs well before Ollie opened his damn eyes.

 

And Roy  _ knew _ Bruce had thought Jason was falling farther, when he had brought Roy into his life, as a teammate. But a lover? Well, Roy couldn’t imagine Bruce was pleased.

 

“I know you don’t care for me,” Roy said, against the sound of Lian laughing, far off, as Jason set her down, and she took to running in the grass with Titus. “I know you never have. You think I’m a  _ fuck up _ with a big ego and bad taste. I know. I’ve always known. But at the end of the day, whatever I am or am not, Jason  _ likes _ . He’s stuck with me for years, he’s been a father to my daughter…” Roy swallowed. “I owe it to him, to give him a happily ever after.” He gripped his own arms tightly, glancing down. “I’d give anything to make sure he’s happy. If it takes my whole life, I’m willing to give him that.”

 

He didn’t glance up when he heard Bruce taking a single step towards him. When Roy had been younger, it had been easier to stand up to Bruce- he’d been  _ stupid _ and not afraid of anything. But as an adult, without  _ backup _ \- laying himself bare and raw like that, waiting for the man’s approval which he gave to nothing and no one-

 

There was a hand on his cheek, gently cupping it, forcing him to lift his head. Roy did, stared up into Bruce, and the man- he was  _ smiling _ . The soft, happy sort that Roy wasn’t sure he’d seen on his face. It made his eyes crinkle, little lines showing at the corners. Before Roy could question it, Bruce’s hand moved back, cupped the back of his head, and his other arm curled around him, jerking him in. Roy stumbled into his chest, and Bruce folded him up, hugging him tightly.

 

Roy didn’t exactly know what to do. He’d rarely seen Bruce hug  _ anyone _ , and to think he’d ever receive one from him- but he was smiling himself then, turning to bury his face in the man’s solid shoulder as he reached up, clutched at Bruce’s sweater. Roy smiled, so damn hard his cheeks hurt, squeezing his eyes shut because the corners were wet.

 

“You’ll make him so happy,” Bruce whispered, clutching at Roy like he was something precious, important. “I already know.” Bruce gave him another squeeze, before pulling back. Roy straightened up,rubbed the heel of his hand at one eye and glanced away, trying to compose himself. Bruce kept that smile, turning him and guiding him back to the railing, a hand on the small of his back. “Just look.”

 

Out in the yard, as the sky was casting golds over the grass, Jason was now sprawled on his back. There was a triumphant Lian, sitting on his belly, her arms thrown up, while Jason was fighting off Titus, who was licking affectionately at his face. The sight made Roy snort, made him reach up and cover his mouth.

 

“I never thought I’d see Jason like this,” Bruce admitted, watching as well. “... Well, once I might have. When he was young, when  _ you _ were young. I thought one day he might be happy, might have a family of his own- that I might see the boy I wanted to be my son smile and look as if everything, for once, was alright in this world.” Bruce shook his head, and Roy felt the fingertips on the small of his back pressing in. “But then when I lost him… I was so sure I’d never see it. Even when he came back, he was so lost, so angry… I didn’t think I’d ever get  _ my _ Jason back. The child who stayed up too late with those tattered paperbacks and wanted me to quiz him before school. The kid smiled and laughed. Who found out he could be happy.”

 

Roy tore his eyes from Jason, just to look at Bruce. Those dark eyes seemed to be shimmering, and his smile was sad now.

 

“But here he is. You gave him this chance. You gave him  _ everything  _ he ever deserved. A friend, someone to understand and listen to him. You gave him trust, compassion…” Bruce choked, reached up then and covered his own face. “You gave my boy everything I never could.”

 

“Bruce-”

 

“I didn’t like you, back then,” Bruce admitted, tripping at his temples. “You were reckless and  _ trouble _ . I wasn’t shocked when you fell into drugs. When you crossed lines. And when We found out you had a kid… I thought you’d fucked up not only your life, but now a  _ child’s _ . But…” Bruce let his hand fall away, turning to look at Roy. “I see how wrong I was now. You saved your life- you let your little girl save it. And you saved Jason’s.”

 

Roy swallowed, could feel his heart up in his throat. Everything behind him seemed to be dissolving- Jason and Lian’s laughter, Damian’s agitated hollering, Suren’s snorts and giggles… there was just Bruce, and the beat of his own crazed heart.

 

“It’s more than okay,” Bruce finally said, “for you to marry Jason. Roy…  _ please _ . Don’t ever leave him. Don’t take that child from him. Give him your whole life, because he’s going to give you his no matter the outcome, now.”

 

Roy nodded, and without thinking, reached out, tossed his arms around Bruce’s neck. He hugged him tightly, and Bruce sighed, smiling again and getting his arms around Roy for the second time.

 

“I’ll never leave him,” Roy promised, “And more than that, I’ll  _ never _ take Lian from him. Jason makes my… our daughter happy. Her happiness is the most important thing to us.” Bruce nodded, and Roy leaned back enough to see him. “So, does this mean I call you  _ dad _ ?”

 

“Jason doesn’t even do that.” But Bruce was laughing, and it was an almost addictive sound. Roy wanted to hear it more.

 

“Uh-huh. That could change. What about munchkin? Because she really doesn’t look at anyone as grandpa yet.”

 

“That,” Bruce said, as he turned, and Roy followed, looking out at the scene in the yard again, “I could get used to.”


End file.
